The topic of the day is Technology 2.0 and I'm preparing a speaking presentation on the subject and doing a lot of research. I came across a great article today on a subject that I've been getting a lot of interest in. That is-- setting up a MySpace site for B to B.

Hopefully you've seen the BRANDEMiX site on MySpace. Been there. Done that. We don't get a lot of interest and we don't have a lot of friends, but on the other hand, we don't invest a lot of time in it so I guess that's fair.

For those of you who are interested in buying banner advertising on MySpace -- there's a $25,000 minimum for a campaign. I sent in a request about 2 weeks ago for a client and haven't heard back yet so I guess there's a waiting list.

But this article I read talked about doing a viral campaign where you can offer an incentive for having people place your banner on their site. The article said that traffic increased from 200 to 9,000 hits in one day.

That sounds great. Suggestion- make sure your website is where you want it to be before launching anything like this. But don't be afraid to have fun.

Call me with your questions and if you're doing anything of interest in the tech recruiting arena, I'd love to hear from you before my Prezzy next month.

Labels: MySpace, Recruiting, technology, Trends

Great piece in Trend Watching (www.trendwatching.com) called "Top 5 Consumer Trends For 2007," while we're still fresh in the New Year spirit. But 12 pages are a bit tough to re-print, so here are some highlights that stuck out:

1) Status Lifestyles

"Expect 2007 to be the year in which many brands realize (if not grudgingly accept) that the 'old,' mass-era status symbols...are no longer every consumers' wet dream...mature consumer socities are increasingly dominated by (physical) abundance, by saturation, by experiences, by virtual worlds, by individualism, by participation, by feelings of guilt and concern about the side effects of unbridled consumption"

"With the environment finally on the agenda of most powers that be, and millions of consumers now actively trying to greenify their lives, status from leading an eco-responsible lifestyle is both more readily available, and increasing in value...Don't hesitate to point our your competitor's polluting alternatives."

"One thing you can't go wrong with in 2007 is to ask yourself how your current and new products and experiences will satisfy a plethora of very diverse status seekers."

2) Transparency Tyranny

"1+ billion consumers are now online, and the majority of them have been online for years. They're skilled bargain seekers and 'best of the best' hunters, they're avid online networkers and they're opinionated reviewers and advisors (tripadvisors.com now boasts 5,000,000+ travel reviews)."

"Everything brands do or don't do will end up on youtube.com, or on an undoubtedly soon to be launched youtube-clone dedicated to product reviews."

"Consumers reviews will increasingly become real time and on the spot, i.e. expect ever shorter gaps between a consumer experience (good or bad) and the rest of the world knowing about it...Smart 'participants' will want to get paid in 2007."

"Pleasant side-effect: mass postings will also unmask, outnumber, and neutralize any fake reviews posted by desparate brands trying to piggy back on the powers of transparency."

"What will make things easier this time around is that a) everybody is now online, and b) social software has taken care of the aggregation challenge. All this now needs is a crowd clout entreprenuer that will add a group-buying feature to existing networking sites."

3) Web N+1

"Quick tip: start by (re)reading everything by Kevin Kelly, who has been correct in predicting the Next Big Online Thing over and over again."

4) Trysumers

"Niche of course being the new mass, as consumer societies are now about standing out, not conformity, which in tun means an encouragement to explore one's often broader-than-assumed taste."

"Navigation is the new laissez faire."

"Since advertising is as trusted as a certain president with two more years to go, trying out and sampling is the new advertising."

"The auction culture is beginning to empower the consumer to reach because they can afford better items since they're not paying the whole ticket for them...they're willing to take more chances because they know there's an exit if they made a mistake."

5) The Global Brain

"This year, expect many opportunities, small and big, to aggressively court the 1% of most creative and experienced individuals roaming the globe."

Conclusion

"Take any of the five trends above, sit down with your colleagues or team, and figure out how they may impact your business, your brand, your job:

- Vision
- New business concepts
- New products, services, experiences
- Marketing, advertising, PR"

Well, folks, still a lot of gold that in there that isn't mentioned above. But TrendWatching.com is raising some great points about the times changing, and companies needing to change to meet consumer demands, rather than being the other way around -- "supply and demand" no longer means what it did for many years. And with changing companies, we have a changing workforce.

Stay tuned!

Labels: Online Advertising, Recruiting, Status, Trends

In another piece from Inc. Magazine’s Stephanie Clifford, entrepreneurs give their two cents about specific economic indicators, and how they think they will affect their companies in 2007.

Among the factors that entrepreneurs ought to consider:

1. Logistics – “The Shipping News” – Consider opening more warehouses and other methods of lowering costs related to long-term transportation logistics
2. Communications – “Get Hip to Blogs” – Consider blogging to be a “huge, free focus group,” and utilize such for demographic research
3. Energy – “Go Green” – Consider budgeting for higher gas and fuel costs, but also consider implementing sources of renewable energyConsumer Products – “The Wal-Mart Backlash Continues” – Consider competing on quality and service rather than on price as many retailers tend to do
4. Consumer Products - "The Wal-Mart Backlash Continues" - Consider competing on quality and service rather than on price as many retailers tend to do
5. Real Estate – “Blowing Bubbles” – Consider budgeting for higher commercial rents and rising interest rates
   

Which of these indicators is Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich tracking? “None.” And why? “They’ve never proven to correlate materially with our business.” Also agreeing with that line of thinking of Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy who said “We don’t really look at economic trends of whatever.” Ditto for Xpress Source CEO Mike Pierce: “We see things happening much quicker than the analysts.”

However, the fourth factor raises some good points, specifically that not all consumers prefer quantity to quality. Relating that to your workforce, for the same amount of money, would you rather have four workers that are “OK” or two workers that are “Excellent?” If you are indeed looking for those two excellent candidates, then you ought to consider where it is that you’re looking for these new recruits. Are you putting an ad in the local Pennysaver, or are you recruiting on-campus at top-notch universities? The logistics, communications, energy, and real estate can all be worked around in today’s ultra-hip and rapidly-changing environment, but a loyal, qualified, and productive workforce cannot.

So what are your company’s goals and hopes for 2007? We’re all ears…feel free to post ‘em!

In the meantime, BRANDEMiX wishes you and those around you a Happy New Year. See you in 2007!

Labels: Forecasting, Recruiting, Trends